Noni Juice Lessens DNA Damage in Smokers

By Robby Gardner, Associate Editor

Noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia) juice may be much more protective against DMA damage than other fruit juices. The fruit is grown in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, where it is popularly used as a food and medicine.

In collaboration with noni juice maker Morinda Inc. (Provo, UT), researchers from the University of Illinois College of Medicine assigned 245 heavy smokers to daily noni juice or fruit juice placebo for one month. Blood samples drawn at baseline and one month were analyzed for common biomarkers of DNA damage: lipid hydroperoxides (LOOHs) and their decomposition product, malondialdehyde (MDA). Previous research has connected cigarette smoking to increased levels of LOOH and MDA.

At one month, consumption of noni juice significantly influenced LOOH and MDA presence, whereas placebo consumption did not. Subjects who consumed 29.5 ml of noni juice daily saw an average 44.6% decrease in DNA attached to these substances, and those who consumed 118 ml daily saw average reductions of 57.4%.

The researchers used a combination of grape and blueberry juices as placebo because neither fruit contains iridoid, a compound found in noni and few other fruits. They speculate that these iridoids made the difference in results.

Noni juice also reduced markers of oxidative DNA damage in a 2009 study conducted by the same research parties.